Process for removing arsenic from drinking water

ABSTRACT

Arsenic is removed from water and other aqueous feeds by (1) treating the feed with a compound containing cerium in the +4 oxidation state, preferably cerium dioxide, to oxidize arsenic in the +3 oxidation state to arsenic in the +5 oxidation state and (2) removing the arsenic in the +5 oxidation state from the aqueous phase, normally by contacting the treated feed with alumina or other precipitating agent containing cations in the +3 oxidation state.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/353,705 filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office onJan. 29, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,825.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to methods, compositions and devicesfor removing arsenic from aqueous streams and is particularly concernedwith methods, compositions and devices for removing arsenic fromgroundwater and drinking water using cerium in the +4 oxidation state tooxidize arsenic so it can be precipitated from the water.

Arsenic is a toxic element that naturally occurs in a variety ofcombined forms in the earth. Its presence in natural waters mayoriginate, for example, from geochemical reactions, industrial wastedischarges and past agricultural uses of arsenic-containing pesticides.Because the presence of high levels of arsenic may have carcinogenic andother deleterious effects on living organisms, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization have set themaximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic in drinking water at 10parts per billion (ppb). Arsenic concentrations in wastewaters,groundwaters, surface waters and geothermal waters frequently exceedthis level. Thus, the current MCL and any future decreases, which may beto as low as 2.0 ppb, create the need for new techniques to economicallyand effectively remove arsenic from drinking water, well water andindustrial waters.

Arsenic occurs in four oxidation or valence states, i.e., −3, 0, +3, and+5. Under normal conditions arsenic is found dissolved in aqueous oraquatic systems in the +3 and +5 oxidation states, usually in the formof arsenite (AsO₂ ⁻¹) and arsenate (AsO₄ ⁻³). The effective removal ofarsenic by coagulation techniques requires the arsenic to be in thearsenate form. Arsenite, in which the arsenic exists in the +3 oxidationstate, is only partially removed by adsorption and coagulationtechniques because its main form, arsenious acid (HAsO₂), is a weak acidand remains un-ionized at a pH between 5 and 8 where adsorption takesplace most effectively.

Various technologies have been used in the past to remove arsenic fromaqueous systems. Examples of such techniques include adsorption on highsurface area materials, such as alumina and activated carbon, ionexchange with anion exchange resins, co-precipitation andelectrodialysis. However, most technologies for arsenic removal arehindered by the difficulty of removing arsenite. The more successfultechniques that have been used in large municipal water supplies are notpractical for residential applications because of space requirements andthe need to use dangerous chemicals. The two most common techniques forresidential water treatment have been reverse osmosis and activatedalumina. The former method produces arsenic-containing waste streamsthat must be disposed of, and the latter requires the use of causticchemicals.

The above facts coupled with the potential for the decrease in MCL tobetween 2 and 10 ppb make it imperative that effective processes,compositions and devices for removing arsenic from water and otheraqueous systems be developed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, it has now been found that arsenic canbe efficiently and effectively removed from water and other aqueousfeedstocks by treating the arsenic-containing aqueous feed with acompound containing cerium in the +4 oxidation state, preferably ceriumdioxide (CeO₂), in order to oxidize the arsenic so that it can be moreeasily removed by precipitation from the treated aqueous feed to producea purified aqueous liquid with a reduced concentration of arsenic.“Precipitation” as used herein encompasses not only the removal ofarsenic-containing ions in the form of insoluble species, but alsoincludes the immobilization of arsenic-containing ions on or ininsoluble particles. In one embodiment of the process of the invention,water or other aqueous liquid containing dissolved arsenic in the +3 and+5 oxidation states is contacted with cerium dioxide to oxidize arsenicin the +3 oxidation state to arsenic in the +5 oxidation state, and thearsenic in the +5 oxidation state is removed from the aqueous liquid bycontacting the liquid with a precipitating agent that reacts with thearsenic in the +5 oxidation state to produce insoluble arsenic compoundsand an aqueous liquid of reduced arsenic content.

Typically, the oxidized arsenic is in the +5 oxidation state anddissolved in the water or other aqueous liquid in the form of arsenate(AsO₄ ⁻³). The precipitating agent used to remove the oxidized arsenicfrom the aqueous liquid can be anything that reacts with the arsenate orother form of oxidized arsenic to produce insoluble arsenic compounds.For example, the precipitating agent can be cerium in the +3 oxidationstate produced in the arsenic oxidation step when cerium in the +4oxidation state is reduced. Alternatively, the precipitating agent canbe any particulate solid containing cations in the +3 oxidation state,such as alumina, aluminosilicates, ion exchange resin and clays.

The oxidation and precipitation steps can be carried out in the same orseparate zones. If the steps are carried out in the same zone, thecompound containing cerium in the +4 oxidation state is usually mixedwith the precipitating agent. Although this mixture can be made bysupporting the cerium compound on the surface and/or in the pores of theprecipitating solids, it is usually preferred that the cerium compoundin particulate form be physically mixed with particles of theprecipitating agent. A preferred composition of the invention comprisesa mixture of cerium dioxide and alumina.

In a preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, an aqueousliquid containing dissolved arsenic in the form of arsenate and arseniteis contacted with a mixture of cerium dioxide particulates and aluminaparticulates in an oxidation zone such that the cerium dioxide oxidizesthe arsenite to arsenate and the alumina reacts with the arsenate toform insoluble aluminum arsenate that sorbs onto the particles ofalumina. The aqueous liquid exiting the oxidation zone contains asubstantially reduced concentration of arsenic, usually less than about2.0 ppb.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the process of the invention is primarily envisioned forremoving dissolved arsenic from drinking water and groundwater, it willbe understood that the process can be used to treat any aqueous liquidfeed that contains undesirable amounts of arsenic. Examples of suchliquid feeds include, among others, well water, surface waters, such aswater from lakes, ponds and wetlands, agricultural waters, wastewaterfrom industrial processes, and geothermal fluids. The arsenic-containingfeed can also contain other inorganic contaminants, such as selenium,cadmium, lead and mercury, and certain organic contaminants. Generally,the process of the invention can be used to treat any aqueous liquidfeedstock containing more than 2.0 ppb arsenic and is effective fortreating feeds containing more than 500 ppb arsenic. The process iseffective in decreasing the arsenic levels in such feeds to below 5.0ppb, usually to below 2.0 ppb.

The arsenic contaminating the aqueous feed is normally dissolved in theaqueous phase and usually exists in both the +3 and +5 oxidation states,respectively, as arsenite (AsO₂ ⁻¹) and arsenate (AsO₄ ⁻³). Techniquesfor removing arsenate exist and are quite effective, but removing thearsenite is a more difficult proposition because the presenttechnologies for doing so are not greatly effective. It has now beenfound that substantially all of the dissolved arsenite can be easilyoxidized to arsenate by treating the aqueous feed with cerium in the +4oxidation state and the resulting arsenate, along with the arsenateoriginally present in the aqueous feed, precipitated from the treatedfeed to produce an arsenic-depleted aqueous liquid.

In the process of the invention, the aqueous feed contaminated witharsenic is passed through an inlet into an oxidation vessel at atemperature and pressure, usually ambient conditions, such that thewater in the feed remains in the liquid state. If the feed iscontaminated with particulate solids, it is usually treated to removethe solids before it is passed into the oxidation vessel. Anyliquid-solids separation technique, such as filtration, centrifuging andhydrocycloning, can be used to remove the particulate solids.

In the oxidation vessel the aqueous feed is contacted with a compoundcontaining cerium in the +4 oxidation state (hereinafter referred to ascerium +4), which Ce +4 is an extremely strong oxidizing agent andoxidizes any arsenite or other arsenic present in the +3 oxidation stateto arsenate or other species containing arsenic in the +5 oxidationstate. All of the arsenic species containing arsenic in the +5 oxidationstate is then precipitated from the aqueous phase by contacting theoxidized aqueous feed with a precipitating agent.

The oxidizing agent can be any solid or liquid containing cerium in the+4 oxidation state. Although it is generally preferred to use solidparticles of cerium dioxide, which are insoluble in water and relativelyattrition resistant as the oxidizing agent, water-soluble ceriumcompounds can also be used. Examples of such compounds include cericammonium nitrate, ceric ammonium sulfate, ceric sulfate, and cericnitrate.

The precipitating agent that reacts with the arsenate containing arsenicin the +5 oxidation state to form insoluble arsenic compounds can bepresent in the oxidation vessel with the cerium +4 compound so that theprecipitation occurs essentially simultaneously with the oxidation.Alternatively, it can be in a separate vessel into which the treatedliquid exiting the oxidation vessel passes. For simplicity purposes, itis normally preferred for both the cerium compound and precipitatingagent to be present in the oxidation vessel. This embodiment of theinvention eliminates the need for an extra vessel and thereby reducesthe cost of installing and operating the process of the invention.

Although the precipitating agent can be any material, solid or liquid,that reacts with arsenate or other species containing arsenic in the +5oxidation state to form insoluble arsenic compounds, it is usually aparticulate solid that contains cations in the +3 oxidation state, whichcations react with arsenate to form insoluble arsenate compounds.Examples of such solids containing cations in the +3 oxidation stateinclude alumina, gamma-alumina, activated alumina, acidified aluminasuch as alumina treated with hydrochloric acid, metal oxides containinglabile anions such as aluminum oxychloride, crystallinealumino-silicates such as zeolites, amorphous silica-alumina, ionexchange resins, clays such as montmorillonite, ferric sulfate, porousceramics, and cerium compounds containing cerium in the +3 oxidationstate, such as cerous carbonate. Although lanthanum oxide and other rareearth compounds can be used as the precipitating agent, these materialsare typically not employed (except of course for cerium compounds) inthe process of the invention because it is preferred to use aprecipitating agent that has a much smaller Ksp than that of the rareearth compounds.

As mentioned above it is normally preferable that the cerium +4 compoundand precipitating agent both be present in the oxidation vessel so thatthe arsenic is oxidized and precipitated essentially simultaneously inthe same vessel. Although the cerium +4 compound and precipitating agentcan both be water-soluble, it is normally preferred that the cerium +4compound and precipitating agent both be water-insoluble particulatesolids that are either slurried with the aqueous feed in the oxidationvessel or physically mixed together in a fixed bed through which theaqueous feed is passed during the oxidation step. In an alternativeembodiment of the invention, the cerium +4 compound can be deposited onthe surface and/or in the pores of the solid precipitating agent. Thisembodiment is normally not preferred over a physical mixture becausesupporting the cerium compound on or in the precipitating solidsrequires the cerium compound to be dissolved in a liquid, the resultantsolution mixed with the support solids, and the wet solids dried. Suchsteps add significantly to the cost of practicing the process of theinvention.

Normally, a sufficient amount of the cerium +4 compound is present inthe oxidation vessel with the particulate precipitating agent so thatthe mixture of the two contains between about 8 and 60 weight percent ofthe cerium +4 compound calculated as the oxide. Preferably, the mixturewill contain between about 10 and 50 weight percent, more preferablybetween about 20 and 30 weight percent, of the cerium +4 compoundcalculated as the oxide. However, in some instances, it may be desirablefor the mixture to contain greater than 40 to 45 weight percent of thecerium +4 compound calculated as the oxide.

Regardless of whether the cerium +4 compound is present in the oxidationvessel in admixture with the particulate precipitating agent orsupported on or in the pores of the precipitating agent, the solids willtypically range in diameter between about 0.25 and 1.5, preferably from0.5 to 1.0, millimeters. When the cerium +4 compound and precipitatingagent are present in the oxidation zone as a fixed bed, it is normallypreferred that the particles be spherical in shape so the flow of theaqueous feed through the bed is evenly distributed. However, if desired,the particles may take other shapes including that of extrudates. Suchextrudates would typically have a length between about 0.2 and about 3.0millimeters.

During the oxidation step of the process of the invention, arsenite inthe aqueous feed is oxidized to arsenate according to the followingequation:Ce⁺⁴+AsO₂ ⁻¹→Ce⁻³+AsO₄ ⁻³As the cerium +4 oxidizes the arsenite, it is reduced to cerium in the+3 oxidation state, which then reacts with the arsenate formed duringthe oxidation step to produce insoluble cerium arsenate as shown in thefollowing equation:Ce⁺³+AsO₄ ⁻³→CeAsO_(4(solid))

Although theoretically there is enough cerium +3 formed by reduction ofcerium +4 to react with all of the arsenate formed in the oxidationreaction to precipitate the arsenate, it is normally preferred that anadditional precipitating agent be present. This agent, which can be acompound containing cerium +3, reacts with any unreacted arsenate toform an insoluble precipitate, which is removed from the aqueous feed toproduce the desired arsenic-depleted aqueous liquid.

The oxidation step that takes place in the oxidation vessel is normallycarried out at ambient pressure, at a temperature from about 40° to 100°C., preferably from about 5° to 40° C., and at a pH greater than about3.0. The residence time of the aqueous feed in the oxidation vesseltypically ranges from about 2.0 to about 30 minutes. When the cerium +4compound and arsenic precipitant are both solid particulates and presenttogether as a fixed bed in the oxidation vessel, the precipitatedarsenic compounds will be sorbed by or otherwise associated with thesolid particles of the precipitating agent so that the aqueous fluidexiting the oxidation vessel will contain essentially no solids and verylittle arsenic, usually less than about 10 ppb and quite frequently lessthan 2.0 ppb. If the precipitating agent is not in the oxidation vessel,the effluent from the vessel is passed to another vessel where it istreated separately with the arsenic precipitating agent. Finally, if thecerium +4 compound and precipitating agent are particulate solids thatare slurried with the aqueous feed in the oxidation vessel, the effluentfrom the vessel is normally treated to separate the solids, includingthe insoluble arsenic compounds formed in the vessel, from thearsenic-depleted liquid. Although the separation can be carried out inany type of device capable of removing particulates from liquids, afiltration system is typically employed.

If the aqueous feed to the process of the invention contains othercontaminants that must be removed in addition to arsenic to produce thedesired purified aqueous product, the removal of these contaminants istypically carried either before or after the oxidation step. If theother contaminants will interfere with the oxidation of the arsenic,they should be removed prior to the oxidation step. In some cases theprocess of the invention is also effective for removing othercontaminants from the aqueous feed in addition to or to the exclusion ofarsenic.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an arsenic purifying devicecontaining a cartridge or filter is used to treat residential drinkingwater. The treating device can be a free standing container with afiltering device containing the composition of the invention or acartridge type device designed to fit under a sink. These devices aresituated so that the water entering the home or business location passesthrough the filter or cartridge before it enters the sink faucet. Thefilter and cartridge devices are quite simple and comprise a inletattached to the source of the drinking water, a filter or cartridgecontaining the cerium +4 oxidizing agent, usually in the form of a fixedbed and in admixture with an arsenic precipitant, and an outlet incommunication with the sink faucet to direct the arsenic-depleteddrinking water exiting the cartridge or filter to the entrance of thefaucet. Alternatively, a cartridge or filter type device can be designedto fit onto the faucet so that water exiting the faucet passes throughthe cartridge or filter device before it is consumed.

In the filter or cartridge, arsenic in the +3 oxidation state isoxidized to arsenic in the +5 oxidation state, and substantially all ofthe dissolved arsenic +5 present reacts with cerium in the +3 oxidationstate and the arsenic precipitating agent to form insoluble arseniccompounds that are sorbed onto the fixed bed solids. The precipitatingagent is preferably alumina or an ion exchange resin. The effluentexiting the fixed bed and the outlet of the cartridge or filter devicewill typically have an arsenic concentration less than about 2.0 ppb.After the fixed bed in one of the cartridge or filter devices becomessaturated with arsenic, the cartridge or filter is replaced with a newcartridge or filter of the same or similar design. The spent cartridgeor filter is then disposed of in a legally approved manner.

In another embodiment, the process of the invention is used in communitywater treatment facilities to remove arsenic from drinking water beforethe water is distributed to local homes and businesses. For such use thecerium +4 oxidizing agent is typically present in large tanks in eitherslurry form or in a fixed bed so that relatively large amounts ofarsenic-containing water can be treated either in a continuous or batchmode. The arsenic precipitant can be present either in the tank with thecerium +4 oxidizing agent or in a separate vessel fed by the effluentfrom the tank. The water exiting the process typically has an arsenicconcentration less than about 10 ppb, usually less than 5.0 ppb, andpreferably less than 2.0 ppb.

The nature and objects of the invention are further illustrated by thefollowing example, which is provided for illustrative purposes only andnot to limit the invention as defined by the claims. The example showsthat arsenic in the +3 and +5 oxidation state can be completely removedfrom water using cerium dioxide.

EXAMPLE

Test solutions were prepared to mimic arsenic-containing groundwater bymixing certified standard solutions of arsenic in the +3 and +5oxidation states with tap water containing no arsenic. Twenty grams oflanthanum oxide (La₂O₃), 20 grams of cerium dioxide (CeO₂), and amixture of 10 grams of lanthanum oxide and 10 grams of cerium dioxidewere separately placed in a sealed 100 milliliter glass container andslurried with about 96 milliliters of test solutions containing 100 ppbof arsenic +3, 100 ppb of arsenic +5, and 50 ppb of both arsenic +3 andarsenic +5. The resultant slurries were agitated with a Teflon coatedmagnetic stir bar for 15 minutes. After agitation, the tap water wasseparated from the solids by filtration through Whatman #41 filter paperand sealed in 125 milliliter plastic sample bottles. The bottles werethen sent to a certified drinking water analysis laboratory where theamount of arsenic in each sample was determined by graphite furnaceatomic absorption spectroscopy. The results of these tests are set forthbelow in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Arsenic in Water Arsenic in Before Test Slurried Water AfterArsenic Test ppb ppb Material Test Removed No. As⁺³ As⁺⁵ percent ppbpercent 1 0 0 0 0 NA 2 50 50 0 100  0 3 50 50 100% La₂O₃ 45  55 4 50 50100% CeO₂ 0 100 5 50 50 50% La₂O₃ 0 100 50% CeO₂ 6 100 0 50% La₂O₃ 0 10050% CeO₂ 7 0 100 50% La₂O₃ 0 100 50% CeO₂ 8 0 0 50% La₂O₃ 0 NA 50% CeO₂

The data for test 3 in the table show that, when lanthanum oxide is usedby itself, only 55 percent of the arsenic present in the arsenic-spikedtap water is removed. Since the solubility of lanthanum arsenate, whichcontains arsenic +5, is very small, it was assumed that the arsenicremaining in solution was primarily arsenic +3 in the form of arsenite.The results of test 4, on the other hand, show that cerium dioxide canremove all of the arsenic from the water. The disparity in these resultsis attributed to the fact that cerium exists in the +4 oxidation statein cerium dioxide and is a strong oxidizing agent, whereas the lanthanumin the lanthanum oxide, which is in the +3 oxidation state, is not anoxidizing agent. Although the lanthanum +3 reacts with arsenic in the +5oxidation state to precipitate it from the water, the lanthanum does notreact with the arsenic in the +3 oxidation state. The cerium in thecerium dioxide oxidizes the arsenic +3 to arsenic +5, which then reactswith cerium +3 formed by the reduction of cerium +4 to precipitate allof the arsenic dissolved in the water. Tests 5–7 show that equalmixtures of cerium dioxide and lanthanum oxide are also effective inremoving all of the arsenic from the tap water.

Although this invention has been described by reference to severalembodiments of the invention, it is evident that many alterations,modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intendedto embrace within the invention all such alternatives, modifications andvariations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A device for removing arsenic from drinking water comprising: (a) aninlet communicating with a source of said drinking water; (b) anoxidation vessel containing solids comprising a compound containingcerium in the +4 oxidation state in an amount sufficient to oxidize saidarsenic to the +5 oxidation state and a particulate arsenicprecipitating agent that reacts with arsenic in the +5 oxidation stateto form insoluble arsenic compounds, wherein said solids are essentiallydevoid of lanthanum oxide, said vessel has an entry portion and an exitportion and said entry portion communicates with said inlet; and (c) anoutlet communicating with said exit portion of said vessel.
 2. Thedevice defined by claim 1 wherein said compound containing cerium in the+4 oxidation state comprises cerium dioxide.
 3. The device defined byclaim 1 wherein said vessel comprises a cartridge or filter containingsaid solids and said device is designed to fit beneath a sink or on theoutlet of a faucet.
 4. The device defined by claim 1 wherein said vesselcomprises a tank containing said solids.
 5. The device defined by claim1 wherein said compound containing cerium in the +4 oxidation state ismixed with said particulate arsenic precipitating agent.
 6. The devicedefined by claim 5 wherein said particulate arsenic precipitating agentis selected from the group consisting of alumina, ion exchange resins,crystalline aluminosilicates, clays and porous ceramics.
 7. The devicedefined by claim 1 wherein said compound containing cerium in the +4oxidation state is supported on said particulate arsenic precipitatingagent.
 8. The device defined by claim 7 wherein said particulate arsenicprecipitating agent is selected from the group consisting of alumina,ion exchange resins, crystalline aluminosilicates, clays and porousceramics.
 9. The device defined by claim 1 wherein said particulatearsenic precipitating agent comprises cerium in the +3 oxidation state.10. A device for removing arsenic from drinking water comprising: (a) aninlet communicating with a source of said drinking water; (b) anoxidation vessel containing solids consisting essentially of a compoundcontaining cerium in the +4 oxidation state in an amount sufficient tooxidize said arsenic to the +5 oxidation state, wherein said vessel hasan entry portion and an exit portion and said entry portion communicateswith said inlet; and (c) an outlet communicating with said exit portionof said vessel.
 11. The device defined by claim 10 wherein said solidsconsist essentially of cerium dioxide.